More right-wing extremist groups could be declared terrorist organisations after Labor and Liberal MPs unanimously backed the listing of neo-Nazi group Sonnenkrieg Division.
Liberal senator James Paterson, chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, called on the government to investigate more “like-minded organisations with a mind to listing them as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code, if they meet the criteria”.
In March the then home affairs Minister Peter Dutton announced the UK-based group Sonnenkrieg Division would become the first right-wing extremist organisation listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.
Federal Parliament’s security and intelligence committee examined the listing and backed the move in a report tabled on Wednesday night.
The report found Sonnenkrieg Division “seeks to encourage lone-actor terrorist attacks against its political, racial, and ethnic enemies”.
“SKD members acting on behalf of the organisation, have encouraged, promoted, and glorified terrorist acts through online propaganda,” the report said. “SKD adheres to an ideology that is violently opposed to multi-ethnic Western societies and there is a possibility that a lone-actor attack directed or inspired by SKD could result in harm to Australians.”
Senator Paterson said although Australians were not directly involved in the group its “encouragement, promotion and glorification of lone actor attacks could inspire some Australian extremists, and the availability of SKD propaganda online has potential to contribute to the radicalisation of others”.
Read the article by Anthony Galloway in The Sydney Morning Herald.